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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — electric
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — to rip
  7. net — in sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. rash — a series
  13. current — of water
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — there
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — for catching
  24. rest — a break

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