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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — government
  4. march — music
  5. shower — rain
  6. current — happening now
  7. march — the month
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. row — to paddle
  10. tube — the underground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — electric
  16. tube — a container
  17. last — final
  18. shower — to wash
  19. current — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. last — finally
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — a law

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