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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — letters
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rule — government
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. shower — rain
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — a leader
  11. spell — a short time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. march — the month
  17. spell — magic
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. march — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hide — animal skin

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