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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. rule — government
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — a break
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rule — a law
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. race — a contest
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. vault — a safe
  22. game — wild animals
  23. race — humankind
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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