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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. charge — electricity
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. current — of water
  7. charge — a price
  8. chest — a box
  9. charge — in control
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. perch — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  24. kid — to tease

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