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

Word bank: rock · rule · sharp · fall · cold · current · fork · wave

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rule — government
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fork — in a road
  10. current — happening now
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cold — not warm
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rule — a law

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