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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. current — happening now
  4. board — a committee
  5. present — the time now
  6. board — to get on
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. present — there
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rash — a series
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — a match
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. current — of water
  23. present — a gift
  24. rash — hasty

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