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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. current — happening now
  3. swing — music
  4. tube — a container
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. current — electric
  10. swing — to play on
  11. board — a committee
  12. tube — the underground
  13. board — to get on
  14. current — of water
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rule — a law
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pit — a hole
  24. tube — in a tire

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