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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.

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: current · roll · spell · stick · chest · rash · rule · cap

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spell — letters
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — a series
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — electric
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spell — magic
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cap — a hat
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — hasty
  22. current — happening now
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rule — a law

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