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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rule — government
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rule — a law
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. toast — bread
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pop — music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pop — soda
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — there
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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