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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rock — music
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. current — of water
  24. cold — an illness

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