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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. current — of water
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. charge — a price
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — happening now
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. spell — letters
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — a series
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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