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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — a video
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. shower — to wash
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bound — certain
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — completely
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — rain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitch — a sports field

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