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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. current — electric
  6. tube — a container
  7. pit — a hole
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — money
  10. kick — in football
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. capital — a city
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. current — happening now
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. nail — for a hammer

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