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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rest — a break
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bank — of a river
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rest — what's left
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — a line
  19. current — of water
  20. mine — for digging
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — an explosive

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