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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rule — a law
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — humankind
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. race — a contest
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bear — the animal
  24. date — the fruit

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