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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bear — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. craft — boats
  10. cold — not warm
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spell — magic
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mate — a friend
  20. current — happening now
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — letters

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