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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bat — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. charge — a price
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. charge — in control
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. clip — to cut
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. current — of water
  23. mug — a face
  24. trunk — of a tree

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