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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — army training
  3. current — electric
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — to wash
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bass — low music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. current — happening now
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — rain
  23. chair — a leader
  24. sharp — exactly

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