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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. current — happening now
  3. hand — help
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — a company
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. current — electric
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. current — of water

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