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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. shower — rain
  3. field — a subject
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — happening now
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lie — to recline
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. field — for sport
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lie — an untruth

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