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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pop — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — a coil
  5. board — a committee
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. spring — the season
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fine — all right
  12. current — of water
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fine — high quality
  15. board — to get on
  16. cold — not warm
  17. club — for golf
  18. pop — soda
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. club — a group
  21. spring — of water
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cold — an illness
  24. current — happening now

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