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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pit — a hole
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. current — happening now
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — electric
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rule — a law
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — of water
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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