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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — to come from
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. current — of water
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — happening now
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — clever
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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