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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. present — there
  3. court — of law
  4. face — to confront
  5. content — happy
  6. current — electric
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — the amount
  13. court — for sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — a gift
  17. current — happening now
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. court — of a king
  22. face — part of the head
  23. present — the time now
  24. rule — government

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