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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. current — electric
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rule — government
  6. current — of water
  7. capital — money
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — happening now
  16. capital — a city
  17. rush — hurry
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — a law

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