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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. current — electric
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kick — in football
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — an illness

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