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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — the cause
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. charge — in control
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. charge — a price
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kick — in football
  23. current — happening now
  24. cabinet — ministers

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