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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: rule · straw · bay · date · spell · cold · current · cabinet

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rule — a law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. current — happening now
  11. spell — letters
  12. current — of water
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rule — government
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spell — magic
  24. cabinet — ministers

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