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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. current — happening now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — to come down
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a partner
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. dip — to sink
  16. current — of water
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — ground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mate — a friend

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