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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rule — government
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. rule — a law
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. rest — what's left
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — electric
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spring — a coil
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. race — the arms race
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — humankind
  20. spring — of water
  21. foot — a measure
  22. scale — in music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. foot — the bottom

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