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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. squash — the sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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