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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — for catching
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — electric
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — the cause
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — for digging
  16. face — to point toward
  17. net — in sport
  18. rule — government
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — finally
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. last — final

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