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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. current — of water
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rule — a law
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a document
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rule — government
  16. band — a music group
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — electric
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — happening now
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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