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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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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rule — a law
  4. file — a tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. date — the fruit
  13. file — a line of people
  14. charge — in control
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. file — a document
  18. row — a line

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