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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. kick — in football
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a tool
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rash — hasty
  12. current — of water
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cold — an illness
  23. current — happening now
  24. cabinet — ministers

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