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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rash — a series
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. land — a country
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lean — thin
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — to play on
  12. land — to come down
  13. current — electric
  14. swing — music
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — in golf
  18. current — happening now
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — for light

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