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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: mug · current · cell · wake · key · squash · stick · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mug — a cup
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. current — happening now
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — a law
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. mug — a face
  22. squash — to crush
  23. key — in music
  24. rule — to rule out

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