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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fine — all right
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. fine — high quality
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mug — to rob
  7. current — happening now
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. current — electric
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mug — a cup
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mug — a face
  24. pit — in a race

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