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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rule — a law
  4. craft — boats
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rule — government
  12. current — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cell — in biology
  19. current — electric
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — in music

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