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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 120 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: nail · rest · lie · cold · rule · current · bat · wave

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. current — electric
  8. cold — not warm
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. current — happening now
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lie — an untruth

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