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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rule — a law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — child
  10. rule — government
  11. club — for golf
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — to tease
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bark — to shout
  23. club — a group
  24. current — of water

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