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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mug — a face
  5. current — of water
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wake — a trail
  13. current — electric
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cold — an illness
  18. current — happening now
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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