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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pass — a permit
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. present — a gift
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. face — to confront
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bat — the animal
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. present — the time now
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. present — there
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. jam — a tight spot

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