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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. current — electric
  4. roll — a cake
  5. charge — electricity
  6. spell — letters
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. current — happening now
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a list
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. charge — in control
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. charge — a price
  22. spell — magic
  23. band — a ring
  24. spell — a short time

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