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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. season — of the year
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — of water
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. last — finally
  15. current — electric
  16. last — final
  17. capital — money
  18. current — happening now
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. last — to go on

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