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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — army training
  10. lean — thin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. current — happening now
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitch — completely
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lean — to bend
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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