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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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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: current · rule · tear · hide · date · face · charge · cap

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — a law
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. current — electric
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. charge — electricity
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rule — government
  12. current — of water
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — to confront
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. current — happening now
  18. cap — a lid
  19. date — the fruit
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. charge — a price
  24. face — part of the head

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