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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. current — happening now
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. pit — a hole
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — the animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. current — electric
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — to rip
  23. march — the month
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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