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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · rash · sharp · content · cold · current · fall · dip

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — a series
  4. current — happening now
  5. fall — the season
  6. content — the amount
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. current — of water
  11. mug — a face
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — to rob
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. content — happy
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cold — an illness
  18. current — electric
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mug — a cup
  24. dip — to dunk

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