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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. current — electric
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — of water
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. current — happening now
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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