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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stand — to bear
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rule — a law
  11. sharp — clever
  12. current — of water
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — for pool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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