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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. current — happening now
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. club — for dancing
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rule — government
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — electric
  24. branch — a division

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