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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — electric
  5. drill — army training
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. sharp — clever
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mate — to breed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — not warm

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