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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — ground
  3. current — electric
  4. charge — in control
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — happening now
  7. craft — a skill
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. object — to protest
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rash — a series
  13. charge — electricity
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — boats
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. rash — hasty
  22. charge — a price
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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