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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — the season
  11. row — a line
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — a practice
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. game — wild animals
  18. row — to paddle
  19. spring — a coil
  20. drill — army training
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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