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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — of water
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. content — happy
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. current — electric
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — for dancing
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. root — the cause
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. root — of a word
  19. content — the amount
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. current — happening now

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