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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. current — electric
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. shower — rain
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. tear — from crying

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