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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. current — electric
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. roll — a list
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. charge — in control
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — a lid
  15. current — happening now
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a hat
  19. charge — electricity
  20. current — of water
  21. tear — to rip
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cap — of ice
  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