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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rock — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. current — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mark — a grade
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. scale — size or range
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. chair — a leader
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. saw — the tool

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