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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. current — happening now
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. current — electric
  5. hand — help
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cold — an illness
  11. swing — music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — in golf
  14. current — of water
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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