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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. current — happening now
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. current — of water
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — government
  11. current — electric
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. charge — in control
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cell — in biology

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