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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — electric
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — of your body
  20. roll — a list
  21. current — happening now
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. game — a match
  24. bore — to tire

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