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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. key — in music
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fall — the season
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. current — of water
  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