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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rule — government
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. last — final
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — to go on
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. court — of a king
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. court — of law
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. chip — for betting

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