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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bass — the fish
  6. current — electric
  7. bass — low music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cap — a hat
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mate — a friend
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — an illness
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bat — the animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cap — of ice

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