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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. charge — electricity
  2. band — a music group
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. current — of water
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — to go on
  7. row — to paddle
  8. charge — in control
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — finally
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. charge — a price
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — electric
  20. row — a line
  21. current — happening now
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. last — final
  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