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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — ground
  7. bat — the animal
  8. current — happening now
  9. spell — a short time
  10. land — a country
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — letters
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. current — electric
  17. land — to come down
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. pit — a hole

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