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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a document
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wake — a trail
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. current — happening now
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. leaves — to go away

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