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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. current — happening now
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a grade
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — a country
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — a box
  13. land — ground
  14. current — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rash — a series
  23. current — electric
  24. land — to come down

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