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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. ground — a position
  5. last — finally
  6. current — happening now
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ground — the earth
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — in sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. last — final
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bore — to drill
  20. current — of water
  21. last — to go on
  22. bore — to tire
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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