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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. present — the time now
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — completely
  16. current — happening now
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — to come from
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. present — there
  24. stem — a stem cell

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