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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rash — hasty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. current — electric
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — ground
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — a country
  14. cell — in biology
  15. board — to get on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cap — a hat
  18. current — of water
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. board — a committee
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. land — to come down

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