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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — a short time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. object — to protest
  12. roll — a cake
  13. object — a thing
  14. current — happening now
  15. spell — letters
  16. stand — to bear
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. spell — magic
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. object — an aim
  23. current — of water
  24. lean — thin

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