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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rule — a law
  9. craft — a skill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — all right
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rule — government
  21. current — of water
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. current — happening now
  24. racket — for tennis

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