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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. last — final
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. last — to go on
  8. current — electric
  9. last — finally
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lean — thin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. current — of water
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mouse — for a computer

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