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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wind — moving air
  9. current — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. last — final
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — to rip
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. last — to go on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — to recline
  23. last — finally
  24. current — happening now

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