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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. can — to be able to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. current — of water
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. date — the fruit
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — not warm
  23. can — a tin
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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