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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. current — electric
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — after costs
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — in sport
  14. suit — clothes
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — to fit
  21. vault — a safe
  22. current — of water
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hide — to keep secret

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