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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rule — government
  3. current — electric
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chair — a leader
  16. field — for sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rash — a series
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — farmland
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chair — to sit on

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