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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. game — a match
  16. last — finally
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — to go on
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a round shape

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