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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. court — of a king
  6. capital — a city
  7. current — electric
  8. capital — money
  9. court — of law
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — happening now
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. court — for sport
  17. current — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rule — a law
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rash — a series

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