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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cold — an illness
  7. land — to come down
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — ground
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ball — a dance
  13. current — electric
  14. rule — a law
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ball — a great time
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. land — a country
  22. cold — not warm
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. prune — to trim

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