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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. current — happening now
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cold — not warm
  5. current — of water
  6. net — for catching
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. firm — a company
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. firm — steady
  17. current — electric
  18. firm — decided
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. lash — an eyelash

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