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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — the tool
  3. current — happening now
  4. pop — soda
  5. sharp — clever
  6. current — electric
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pop — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spring — the season
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — army training
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — of water
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a cup
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — a practice
  24. sharp — exactly

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