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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. current — electric
  6. rule — government
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spring — of water
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spring — a coil
  11. current — of water
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cell — a phone
  14. snap — to click
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rule — a law
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — the animal

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