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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — music
  4. rule — government
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. game — a match
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rule — a law
  14. kick — in football
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. coach — a trainer

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