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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. content — happy
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — of water
  5. chip — to eat
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spell — a short time
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — for betting
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bound — certain
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spell — magic
  22. club — a group
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — videos and posts

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