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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — child
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fine — high quality
  12. current — electric
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fine — all right
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. current — happening now

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