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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. current — happening now
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. scale — size or range
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pit — in a race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. scale — in music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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