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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. scale — in music
  5. spell — letters
  6. press — to push
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. current — of water
  11. deal — to handle
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. current — happening now
  20. press — a publisher
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bowl — a football final

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