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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rule — a law
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. land — ground
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. foot — a measure
  18. land — a country
  19. bass — the fish
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. squash — the sport

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