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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cold — an illness
  7. charge — a price
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rule — government
  10. cold — not warm
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. face — to confront
  18. rule — a law
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. current — of water
  22. dip — to sink
  23. charge — in control
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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