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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. present — there
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rule — government
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. present — the time now
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. file — a document
  13. rule — a law
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. file — a tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. capital — money
  20. present — a gift
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — to handle
  24. coach — a trainer

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