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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rule — government
  4. capital — money
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. present — a gift
  12. current — happening now
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rule — a law
  15. present — the time now
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. present — there
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. snap — to click

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