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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. land — to come down
  2. current — electric
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. current — of water
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bear — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rash — a series
  18. drill — army training
  19. rock — music
  20. land — ground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. land — a country
  23. pit — in a race
  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