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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rule — a law
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. club — for golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — of water
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. current — happening now
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rule — government
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mark — a trace
  23. club — a group
  24. current — electric

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