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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — happening now
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — of water
  16. chip — for betting
  17. band — a ring
  18. rule — a law
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — government
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — in music
  24. content — videos and posts

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