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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — a law
  6. current — electric
  7. last — final
  8. current — happening now
  9. last — finally
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — boats
  18. shower — to wash
  19. current — of water
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. content — happy
  22. stock — goods
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rule — government

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