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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — in sport
  3. kid — to tease
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — to come down
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. land — a country
  11. row — to paddle
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. current — of water
  14. land — ground
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. row — a line
  18. season — of the year
  19. lie — to recline
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. current — happening now
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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