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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. field — a subject
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. scale — size or range
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. chest — a box
  21. snap — to click
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — in music
  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