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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of law
  3. cold — not warm
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — a series
  6. rule — government
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. current — happening now
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rule — a law
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. court — of a king
  24. current — of water

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