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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — government
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — the season
  12. perch — the fish
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — of water
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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