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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. current — electric
  5. sharp — clever
  6. present — there
  7. fine — all right
  8. current — happening now
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. present — a gift
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ground — a position
  21. current — of water
  22. present — the time now
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fork — in a road

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