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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cold — not warm
  4. current — of water
  5. root — of a plant
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rash — a series
  9. current — happening now
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. root — the cause
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. root — of a word
  24. mate — a partner

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