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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — a law
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. current — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a ring
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. current — happening now
  14. cap — a lid
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. march — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rule — government
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — the month

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