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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. present — a gift
  7. spell — magic
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. craft — a skill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cold — an illness
  13. present — there
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — not warm
  16. current — of water
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — the time now
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spell — letters
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. craft — boats
  24. straw — a straw man

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