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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. plane — a tool
  3. pit — a hole
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. content — the amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. current — electric
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — to tease
  11. last — final
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. kid — child
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. last — finally
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. last — to go on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. content — happy
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. current — happening 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