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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stand — to bear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. current — of water

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