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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — happening now
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spell — letters
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mug — a face
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. current — of water
  21. squash — to crush
  22. spell — magic
  23. mug — a cup
  24. foot — the bottom

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