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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 · tear · cold · ruler · key · pitch · cabinet · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. key — in music
  12. mug — a face
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — the most important part
  15. current — of water
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mug — a cup
  20. current — happening now
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ruler — for measuring

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