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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. current — electric
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — of ice
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — happening now
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. current — of water
  17. cap — a hat
  18. game — a match
  19. roll — a list
  20. hand — help
  21. bulb — for light
  22. roll — a cake
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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