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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — of water
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. row — a line
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rest — a break
  21. current — happening now
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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