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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. squash — the sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitch — completely
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bark — to shout
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. current — happening now
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — to handle
  18. current — electric
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a line

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