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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. last — finally
  3. rest — what's left
  4. current — of water
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. can — a tin
  9. board — a committee
  10. rest — a break
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. current — happening now
  15. ball — a dance
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — electric
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. ball — a great time

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