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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. current — happening now
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pit — a hole
  13. game — wild animals
  14. row — to paddle
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. perch — the fish
  18. scale — size or range
  19. row — a line
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. scale — in music
  23. current — electric
  24. perch — for a bird

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