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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cold — not warm
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — electric
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — size or range
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. object — a thing
  21. hand — help
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — in music
  24. object — to protest

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