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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. club — for dancing
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pass — a permit
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for golf
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. club — a group
  20. object — a thing
  21. can — to be able to
  22. object — to protest
  23. pass — to spend time
  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