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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. current — electric
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. current — of water
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. toast — bread
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — a break
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cold — an illness

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