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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spell — magic
  11. pop — music
  12. spell — letters
  13. rule — a law
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — to go on
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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