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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. march — the month
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — certain
  8. rule — a law
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bound — obliged
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bound — tied together
  22. march — the month
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rock — music

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