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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — newspapers
  9. current — happening now
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. press — to push
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mine — for digging
  24. straw — a straw man

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