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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — ground
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. file — a document
  9. rash — hasty
  10. charge — a price
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — electric
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. land — to come down
  18. object — a thing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. current — of water
  21. land — a country
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — ministers

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