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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. branch — a division
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. current — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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