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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. current — of water
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. current — electric
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rule — a law
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chip — to eat
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. current — happening now
  19. drill — a practice
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cold — not warm
  23. drill — army training
  24. chip — for betting

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