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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. current — happening now
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cold — an illness
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. scale — in music
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — of water
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stem — to come from
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. current — electric
  24. rush — to hurry

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