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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. current — happening now
  7. cap — a hat
  8. plane — a tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. race — a contest
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rule — a law
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cap — of ice
  21. race — humankind
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rock — music
  24. cap — a lid

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