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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. current — happening now
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. current — of water
  5. present — there
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pit — in a race
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. current — electric
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — the time 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