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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — finally
  6. current — electric
  7. face — part of the head
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — happening now
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — of water
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to confront
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — size or range
  19. last — final
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. hand — in cards

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