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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. current — happening now
  5. rest — a break
  6. clip — a video
  7. firm — a company
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — a law
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — of water
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rule — government
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. race — humankind
  24. wind — moving air

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