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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: pit · board · mug · rule · lean · key · cold · current

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. lean — to bend
  3. current — electric
  4. mug — a cup
  5. current — happening now
  6. board — to get on
  7. rule — government
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mug — a face
  17. current — of water
  18. mug — to rob
  19. board — a committee
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cold — an illness

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