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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rule — a law
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — government
  5. club — for golf
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — help
  8. club — a group
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. root — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. root — of a word
  18. current — happening now
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — money
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. current — electric

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