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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chest — a box
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. net — in sport
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fine — all right
  18. ground — crushed
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. ground — a position
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bark — to shout

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