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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: current · mouse · ground · cold · rush · lie · drill · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ground — the earth
  6. current — happening now
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ground — a position
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — of water
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. drill — army training
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cold — an illness
  21. drill — a practice
  22. current — electric
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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