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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. object — to protest
  8. current — electric
  9. pass — a permit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. current — of water
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. object — an aim
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. current — happening now
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. object — a thing

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