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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. object — an aim
  3. current — electric
  4. chip — to eat
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. object — a thing
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — for betting
  17. object — to protest
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. kid — child
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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