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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — happening now
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. current — electric
  12. rush — hurry
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — all right
  15. pit — in a race
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pit — a hole
  21. current — of water
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fine — high quality

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