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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. club — for golf
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — for sport
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cap — a lid
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. current — of water
  10. field — farmland
  11. band — a ring
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. current — happening now
  15. club — a group
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cap — a hat
  20. club — for dancing
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rock — music
  24. cell — a phone

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