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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. last — finally
  3. current — happening now
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a great time
  7. last — to go on
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bark — to shout
  10. current — of water
  11. charge — in control
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — electric
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. charge — a price
  18. bark — of a tree

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