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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — the month
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — money
  5. fork — in a road
  6. current — of water
  7. firm — a company
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rule — a law
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a city
  16. lean — thin
  17. march — music
  18. current — happening now
  19. firm — decided
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. firm — steady
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. current — electric

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