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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mark — a trace
  4. land — ground
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rule — a law
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — happening now
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — a country
  12. file — a document
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — government
  16. land — to come down
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. current — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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