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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — electric
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — in a race
  10. club — a group
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. pit — a hole
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — the season
  24. saw — the tool

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