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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — the season
  4. capital — a city
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. current — of water
  8. mug — a cup
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. sharp — clever
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — government
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — money
  21. current — electric
  22. rule — a law
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — to rob

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