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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. current — happening now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. current — electric
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rule — government
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. current — of water
  20. race — a contest
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — the arms race

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