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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. court — of law
  6. current — electric
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — of a king
  9. rule — government
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rule — a law
  13. court — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — army training
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  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