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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. last — final
  5. mate — a friend
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — a series
  8. current — happening now
  9. last — to go on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rash — hasty
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. current — of water
  24. calf — a young animal

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