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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — electric
  3. hand — help
  4. current — of water
  5. drill — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. present — a gift
  8. game — a match
  9. rash — a series
  10. present — the time now
  11. game — wild animals
  12. present — there
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. current — happening now
  16. drill — a practice
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. drill — army training
  24. game — a kind of play

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