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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rule — government
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — of water
  5. land — ground
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. firm — steady
  8. ground — the earth
  9. current — happening now
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — electric
  12. ground — a position
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. swing — in golf
  16. land — a country
  17. board — a committee
  18. rule — a law
  19. swing — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. firm — decided
  23. board — to get on
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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