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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. current — happening now
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wound — an injury
  8. roll — a cake
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — electric
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. current — of water
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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