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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cold — not warm
  13. file — a tool
  14. current — electric
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. file — a document

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