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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rule — government
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mug — a face
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rule — a law
  10. last — finally
  11. ball — a dance
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bank — for money
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. toast — bread

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