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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — finally
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — final
  9. fork — in a road
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — of water
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rest — what's left
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — to go on
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — electric
  23. bulb — for light
  24. nail — on a finger

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