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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bear — the animal
  5. charge — a price
  6. land — ground
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cold — not warm
  10. land — a country
  11. band — a ring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. current — electric
  16. band — a music group
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. current — happening now
  24. cold — an illness

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