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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. current — electric
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rule — government
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ground — the earth
  19. current — happening now
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stand — to bear
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. current — of water

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