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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cell — in biology
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. current — of water
  6. dip — to sink
  7. current — electric
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. spell — magic
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spell — letters
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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