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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rash — a series
  3. fine — all right
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. can — a tin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bound — certain
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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