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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ground — crushed
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — happening now
  10. rock — a stone
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. fine — all right
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mate — a friend
  22. shower — rain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mate — a partner

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