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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — a path
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a song
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — high quality
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — in football
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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