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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. roll — a list
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — a tin
  8. toast — bread
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. can — to be able to
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a city
  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