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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. current — happening now
  16. pit — in a race
  17. current — electric
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rash — hasty
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spell — magic
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rash — a series

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