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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. spell — a short time
  3. current — happening now
  4. kid — child
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. current — of water
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. spell — letters
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pass — to spend time
  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