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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — to come down
  8. board — a committee
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — ground
  12. current — happening now
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a dance
  15. current — of water
  16. board — to get on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. band — a ring
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. current — electric
  24. rush — a thrill

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