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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. craft — boats
  6. mate — to breed
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. current — electric
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kid — child
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fork — in a road
  24. craft — a handicraft

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