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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — electric
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a match
  7. rash — a series
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. current — happening now
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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