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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. current — happening now
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rash — hasty
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rash — a series
  22. shower — rain
  23. hand — help
  24. cold — not warm

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