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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — happening now
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. current — electric
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chest — a box
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. current — of water
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cold — not warm
  24. row — to paddle

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