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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — tied together
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spell — letters
  11. fall — the season
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — certain
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — a tin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rule — a law

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