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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. current — electric
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — a match
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. toast — bread
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cap — of ice
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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