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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. current — happening now
  5. row — to paddle
  6. game — a match
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — a line
  10. current — of water
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. current — electric
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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