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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — to wash
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. current — of water
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — rain
  13. firm — decided
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. kid — to tease
  18. firm — a company
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kid — child
  22. current — electric
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. sharp — clever

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