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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. stem — to come from
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — to go on
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. last — final
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. current — electric
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. content — the amount
  17. rule — a law
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. last — finally
  24. rule — government

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