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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. court — of a king
  11. current — electric
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. roll — a list
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. roll — a cake
  21. current — happening now
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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