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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. object — to protest
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — an aim
  8. current — happening now
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. ball — a great time
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — a law
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — government
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ball — a dance
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. capital — a big letter

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