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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rest — a break
  6. file — a line of people
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mine — for digging
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. craft — boats
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. current — happening now
  17. charge — in control
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. current — of water
  20. craft — a skill
  21. file — a document
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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