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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. dip — to sink
  4. lean — thin
  5. current — electric
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — letters
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. last — final
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spell — magic
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hand — help
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. current — of water

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