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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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Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. current — happening now
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — ground
  9. object — to protest
  10. present — a gift
  11. current — electric
  12. present — the time now
  13. kick — in football
  14. current — of water
  15. court — of law
  16. object — a thing
  17. court — of a king
  18. present — there
  19. spring — the season
  20. land — a country
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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