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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. charge — electricity
  3. current — of water
  4. charge — in control
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chip — for betting
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chip — to eat
  14. current — electric
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wound — an injury
  17. charge — a price
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — an injury
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. current — happening now
  24. rule — a law

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