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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. current — happening now
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. net — for catching
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. current — of water
  8. pop — music
  9. cap — a lid
  10. last — to go on
  11. rule — a law
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — electric
  15. last — final
  16. cap — a hat
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — government
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — of ice
  24. net — after costs

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