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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mug — a face
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lie — to recline
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fine — high quality
  10. key — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mug — a cup
  21. season — of the year
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — in sport
  24. fine — a penalty

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