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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pit — a hole
  3. sharp — clever
  4. current — of water
  5. can — to be able to
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. current — electric
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. can — a tin
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chest — a box
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. club — for golf
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. club — a group
  24. can — a tin

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