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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — rain
  3. mate — to breed
  4. net — for catching
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — after costs
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — thin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lean — to bend
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. current — of water
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — happening now

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