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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. firm — decided
  3. perch — the fish
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. firm — a company
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. charge — electricity
  15. kid — child
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. firm — steady
  22. kid — to tease
  23. land — a country
  24. perch — for a bird

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