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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rule — a law
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — a series
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. current — electric
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mate — to breed
  17. current — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — government
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. temple — a place of worship

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