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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. fall — the season
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — a box
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pass — a permit
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. current — electric
  20. shower — rain
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. arm — part of the body

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