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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. current — happening now
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spring — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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