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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: ground · bat · toast · dip · current · can · fall · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — electric
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. ground — a position
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. current — of water
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fall — the season
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. current — happening now

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