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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. current — happening now
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. current — electric
  16. cold — not warm
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. toast — bread

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