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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. current — happening now
  6. chest — a box
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. current — electric
  10. band — a music group
  11. chip — to eat
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chest — of your body
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a ring
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. vault — a safe

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