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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tear — from crying
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — electric
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — to rip

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