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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. land — to come down
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — happening now
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. prune — to trim
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. current — of water

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