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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. current — happening now
  5. season — in sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rule — government
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — of water
  14. rule — a law
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. bore — to tire

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