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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a hole
  6. present — a gift
  7. fall — to drop
  8. current — happening now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — not warm
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. present — there
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — certain
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bound — tied together

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