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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mark — a trace
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. current — of water

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