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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. track — a song
  3. current — of water
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. race — a contest
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. track — a path
  16. rule — a law
  17. current — happening now
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — electric
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mine — for digging
  24. row — a line

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