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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. game — a match
  24. pitcher — a jug

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