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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — a practice
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. current — electric
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — of water
  18. drill — army training
  19. current — happening now
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. cold — an illness
  24. hide — to keep secret

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