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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. current — of water
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. current — happening now
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. file — a tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. dip — to sink
  23. file — a document
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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