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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. current — happening now
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — a country
  9. spell — letters
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. current — of water
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — high quality
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fine — all right
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mark — a grade
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — a short time
  24. current — electric

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