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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pop — music
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cap — of ice
  11. toast — bread
  12. pop — soda
  13. current — happening now
  14. cap — a lid
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mug — a cup
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — a division
  21. current — electric
  22. mug — to rob
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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