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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — a price
  16. current — electric
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — obliged
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — in control
  24. bowl — a football final

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