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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rule — government
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — in a road
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fall — to drop
  17. craft — boats
  18. fall — the season
  19. game — a match
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mug — a face
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rule — to rule out

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