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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 124 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — the month
  3. current — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. club — for dancing
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — a group
  13. rule — a law
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. club — for golf
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. leaves — lets stay

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