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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. current — happening now
  3. rule — a law
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rule — government
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. current — of water
  19. track — a song
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spring — the season
  23. hand — help
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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