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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. march — the month
  4. key — for a lock
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. current — happening now
  12. march — music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. snap — to click
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — of water
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pit — in a race

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