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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rule — government
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. root — the cause
  8. current — of water
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — of a word
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. present — there
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the fish
  15. present — a gift
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bass — low music
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. game — a match
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. present — the time now
  24. current — happening now

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