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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rule — a law
  3. hand — help
  4. land — a country
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. present — a gift
  10. current — electric
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rule — government
  15. present — the time now
  16. land — ground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. current — of water
  21. hand — in cards
  22. land — to come down
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the 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