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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. firm — steady
  3. current — of water
  4. firm — a company
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. current — happening now
  14. ground — a position
  15. drill — army training
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — the earth
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. row — a line
  21. cap — a lid
  22. firm — decided
  23. club — a group
  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