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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kid — to tease
  3. current — happening now
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cell — in biology
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. drill — the tool
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. current — of water
  12. chip — to eat
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kid — child
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chair — a leader
  24. present — the time now

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