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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cap — of ice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. drill — army training
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — a line
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — happening now
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — to paddle

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