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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — happening now
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — to go on
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — electric
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. current — of water
  12. last — finally
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spring — of water
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cue — a signal
  21. last — final
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bowl — to roll

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