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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. track — a song
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fine — high quality
  16. shower — rain
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rest — a break
  23. chip — for betting
  24. track — a path

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