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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. charge — in control
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — a price
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. current — happening now
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bowl — to roll

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