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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. present — a gift
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mug — a cup
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. mug — a face
  10. cell — a phone
  11. last — final
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. club — for golf
  15. rule — government
  16. mug — to rob
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — a law
  20. row — to paddle
  21. capital — a city
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. capital — money
  24. cell — in a prison

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