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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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. mate — a partner
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. shower — rain
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — a friend
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — happening now

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