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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rock — music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — of water
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitch — completely
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rock — to move gently

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