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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. current — of water
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fine — all right
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a committee
  15. current — electric
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pit — in a race

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