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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. row — a line
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. last — finally
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spell — magic
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. current — of water
  21. tube — the underground
  22. current — happening now
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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