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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ground — crushed
  3. current — of water
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — the season
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — happening now
  19. mug — a face
  20. spring — of water
  21. ground — a position
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. current — electric

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