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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. court — of law
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — magic
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. current — electric
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. court — of a king
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — a city
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spell — letters
  24. current — happening now

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