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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. current — of water
  6. row — a line
  7. court — of a king
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — hurry
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — of law
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — to crush
  21. current — happening now
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — the sport
  24. row — to paddle

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