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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. present — there
  3. sharp — clever
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. current — electric
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — the time now
  16. cold — an illness
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lean — thin
  19. current — of water
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. present — a gift
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — exactly

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