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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rule — government
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spell — letters
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. drill — a practice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pound — a weight
  13. present — a gift
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — there
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. present — the time now
  19. rule — a law
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. drill — the tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. spell — magic

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