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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mate — to breed
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — to wash
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. firm — a company
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a friend
  14. roll — a cake
  15. current — happening now
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. drill — army training
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. firm — steady
  22. current — electric
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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