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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — a law
  4. current — happening now
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — government
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — electric
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. charge — in control
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. last — final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kid — child
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wound — an injury

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