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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ball — a great time
  7. fine — all right
  8. drill — army training
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spell — letters
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. current — of water
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. bat — the animal
  24. current — happening now

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