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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. current — electric
  9. ground — crushed
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — a position
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. current — happening now
  17. hand — help
  18. bound — certain
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mate — to breed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — in cards
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com