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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · mouse · deal · saw · present · row · cold · current

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. row — to paddle
  3. last — finally
  4. current — of water
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. last — to go on
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. present — the time now
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — electric
  14. present — there
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. current — happening now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — a line
  23. cold — not warm
  24. present — a gift

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