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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. current — electric
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bore — to tire
  10. roll — a cake
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bore — to drill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. file — a tool
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. current — happening now
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. current — of water
  24. roll — a list

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