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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. staff — employees
  3. rule — a law
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pop — music
  6. current — of water
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — to shout
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cap — of ice
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — magic
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rule — government
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — soda
  24. rule — to rule out

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