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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spring — of water
  4. ground — a position
  5. current — electric
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. current — happening now
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rule — government
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — a law
  24. bat — in an idiom

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