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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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Word bank
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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: scale · fan · lie · fork · rule · game · net · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rule — government
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fork — in a road
  5. current — electric
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. net — for catching
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — after costs
  17. lie — to recline
  18. current — happening now
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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