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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pop — to visit
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cue — a hint
  9. current — happening now
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pop — soda
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. scale — size or range
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rash — a series
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cue — for pool
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — in music

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