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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: chair · fall · rule · current · season · mouse · bat · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rule — government
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fall — the season
  8. current — electric
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rule — a law
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. season — of the year
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. season — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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