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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 124 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. capital — money
  5. fine — all right
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. capital — a city
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rule — a law
  14. current — of water
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. plane — a tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. rule — government
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. current — electric
  24. fine — a penalty

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