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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pit — a hole
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pit — in a race
  12. season — in sport
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — to sink

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