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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — the animal
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. capital — a city
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hand — in cards
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. current — happening now
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — electricity
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to click
  24. hand — help

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