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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. current — of water
  4. last — to go on
  5. court — of a king
  6. drill — army training
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. drill — a practice
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — final
  11. deal — to handle
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. court — for sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. drill — the tool
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. court — of law
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — finally
  22. current — electric
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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