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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — a match
  21. rest — a break
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — happening now
  24. fine — all right

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