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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. last — to go on
  3. pass — a permit
  4. last — finally
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. net — in sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. fork — in a road
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. last — final
  18. fork — to eat with

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