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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. row — to paddle
  3. swing — music
  4. current — of water
  5. staff — employees
  6. kid — child
  7. current — happening now
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. staff — a stick
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — not warm
  15. track — a path
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — to play on
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. row — a line
  22. swing — in golf
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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