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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. last — to go on
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stand — to bear
  7. squash — to crush
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — the time now
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. last — final
  15. track — to keep track
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. track — a song
  18. squash — the sport
  19. present — there
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. last — finally
  22. present — a gift
  23. track — a path
  24. squash — the vegetable

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