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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — all right
  12. current — electric
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. current — of water
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rash — hasty
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. current — happening now
  24. scale — for weighing

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