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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: land · bat · rash · mate · current · cap · board · rule

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rule — government
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — to get on
  5. bat — the animal
  6. land — ground
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — a series
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. current — happening now
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. land — a country
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — of water
  17. mate — a friend
  18. current — electric
  19. land — to come down
  20. rule — a law
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cap — a lid
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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