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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. lean — to bend
  4. current — of water
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. current — electric
  10. lean — thin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. net — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. present — the time now
  18. current — happening now
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. net — for catching
  24. jam — a tight spot

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