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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — to come down
  8. current — electric
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — ground
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rule — government
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rule — a law
  23. land — a country
  24. band — a music group

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