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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. land — ground
  12. wake — a trail
  13. current — electric
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rule — a law
  20. chair — a leader
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. land — a country
  24. rule — to rule out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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