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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. craft — boats
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. lean — to bend
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rush — hurry
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lean — thin
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — music

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