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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bore — to drill
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bass — low music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — a price
  19. mug — a face
  20. cold — not warm
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. charge — in control
  24. wave — of the sea

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