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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rule — government
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — of a king
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — child
  14. court — for sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mine — for digging
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. court — of law
  24. squash — to crush

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