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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — of a king
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rule — government
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. court — of law
  12. current — electric
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. court — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. last — final
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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