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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. drill — army training
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bass — low music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — not warm
  12. current — happening now
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — an illness
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. current — of water
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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