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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rock — a stone
  4. current — of water
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rock — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. current — happening now
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — there
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fork — in a road
  17. race — a contest
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. current — electric

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