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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cell — in biology
  3. current — of water
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. row — to paddle
  11. charge — in control
  12. pass — a permit
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. current — electric
  18. mine — for digging
  19. charge — a price
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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