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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bass — low music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fine — all right
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — electric
  8. capital — a city
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rule — a law
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — money
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rule — government
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. track — a song

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