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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — the time now
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mug — a face
  9. present — a gift
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — to rob
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mug — a cup
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — clever
  23. present — there
  24. mine — for digging

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