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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pit — a hole
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rash — hasty
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spell — magic
  12. current — of water
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. spell — a short time
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — letters
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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