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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — final
  4. firm — decided
  5. current — electric
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. vault — a safe
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. row — a line
  11. current — happening now
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — steady
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. row — to paddle
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. snap — to click

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