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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. present — the time now
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bore — to tire
  14. present — there
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — a song
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. present — a gift
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stand — on your feet

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