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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. land — to come down
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. current — electric
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — a practice
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. march — music
  17. drill — army training
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. current — happening now
  21. content — happy
  22. march — the month
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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