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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rule — government
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. current — of water
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. object — to protest
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. object — an aim
  16. bat — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wax — to grow
  20. object — a thing
  21. rule — a law
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. rash — a series

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