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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · deal · toast · wave · current · rule

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. deal — to handle
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. current — of water
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chest — of your body
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rule — government
  11. current — happening now
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chest — a box
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — electric
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wave — of the sea

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