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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. scale — in music
  3. rule — government
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cap — a hat
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cap — of ice
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rule — a law
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stem — to come from
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a match

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