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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: roll · sharp · wound · fork · last · row · current · scale

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — to go on
  4. current — of water
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. row — a line
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — electric
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fork — in a road
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. roll — a cake
  18. last — final
  19. sharp — clever
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. last — finally
  22. current — happening now
  23. roll — a list
  24. sharp — exactly

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