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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lean — to bend
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. lean — thin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — of water

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