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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. last — to go on
  6. capital — money
  7. rule — a law
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — a city
  12. hand — help
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pit — in a race
  16. last — final
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. swing — to play on
  24. last — finally

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