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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rule — a law
  21. can — a tin
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. field — farmland
  24. can — a tin

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