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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rule — government
  4. mate — a partner
  5. squash — the sport
  6. last — final
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. last — finally
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — a law
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a tool
  24. bark — to shout

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