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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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. last — finally
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. current — happening now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. current — of water
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. scale — size or range
  11. last — to go on
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mine — for digging
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cell — a phone
  20. current — electric
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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