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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. spell — a short time
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rule — government
  5. object — to protest
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. current — of water
  8. band — a music group
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — magic
  12. object — a thing
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — letters
  16. rule — a law
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a ring
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — size or range
  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