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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. court — for sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. land — to come down
  13. court — of a king
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a lid
  16. current — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — of law
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — happening now
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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