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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rash — a series
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tube — a container
  15. key — for a lock
  16. current — happening now
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bound — tied together
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. current — of water
  22. snap — to click
  23. cold — an illness
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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