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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. row — to paddle
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hand — help
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rest — a break
  14. row — a line
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. drill — army training
  21. current — electric
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — happening now
  24. rest — what's left

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