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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rule — government
  3. game — wild animals
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — electric
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — to rip
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rule — a law
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — happening now
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — of water
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rest — a break

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