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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chest — a box
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — government
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. current — happening now
  13. scale — in music
  14. current — electric
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. scale — size or range
  22. current — of water
  23. chest — of your body
  24. march — music

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