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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mark — a trace
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. current — electric
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cue — a hint
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — happening now
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — to handle

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