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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · rule · mug · snap · face · row · land · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. row — a line
  3. face — to confront
  4. row — to paddle
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. drill — army training
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mug — to rob
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rule — a law
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — a face
  14. rule — government
  15. drill — the tool
  16. land — ground
  17. mug — a cup
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — part of the head
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. snap — to click
  23. current — of water
  24. land — a country

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