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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — of water
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. current — electric
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — in a road
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bulb — for light
  21. current — happening now
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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