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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. object — a thing
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. march — the month
  8. current — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a skill
  11. current — happening now
  12. degree — temperature
  13. craft — boats
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bulb — for light
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rule — a law
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — electric
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. march — music

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