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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a match
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — a path
  9. game — wild animals
  10. last — finally
  11. hand — help
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. last — final
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rule — a law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. prune — 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