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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. rule — a law
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. current — of water
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. present — the time now
  12. scale — in music
  13. rule — government
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. present — there
  22. bulb — for light
  23. current — electric
  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