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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a line of people
  4. land — ground
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a document
  13. current — of water
  14. chest — a box
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — a video
  19. land — a country
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. land — to come down
  24. chest — of your body

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