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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — a country
  6. current — electric
  7. tube — the underground
  8. current — happening now
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — to come down
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rash — a series
  17. rest — a break
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — of ice
  21. tube — a container
  22. cap — a lid
  23. land — ground
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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