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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. current — electric
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — happening now
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. fine — high quality
  23. plane — in geometry
  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