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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. current — happening now
  8. game — a match
  9. field — a subject
  10. bass — low music
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rule — government
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — rain
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. current — of water
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. game — wild animals
  24. current — electric

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