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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. foot — a measure
  2. rule — government
  3. firm — a company
  4. object — to protest
  5. firm — decided
  6. current — electric
  7. object — an aim
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. firm — steady
  10. current — happening now
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mine — for digging
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — a thing
  15. wake — a trail
  16. current — of water
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. rule — a law
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — finally
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. last — final
  24. rule — to rule out

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