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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — to confront
  3. track — a song
  4. current — electric
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ground — a position
  7. chest — a box
  8. rule — a law
  9. mate — a friend
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. current — happening now
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rule — government
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chest — of your body
  24. track — a path

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