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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — to bend
  5. roll — a cake
  6. current — of water
  7. charge — in control
  8. roll — a list
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. current — electric
  13. charge — a price
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. current — happening now

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