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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. current — of water
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. drill — a practice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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