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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. staff — a stick
  4. last — finally
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. last — final
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. dip — to sink
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rash — a series
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pass — a permit
  20. current — happening now
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — a jug

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