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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mark — a grade
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — a trace
  6. current — electric
  7. season — in sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — happening now
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — of the year
  21. scale — in music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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