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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. current — of water
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. toast — bread
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — happening now
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — to sink
  22. current — electric
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. patient — a sick person

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