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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. race — humankind
  3. track — a song
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — the arms race
  8. last — finally
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — a law
  13. race — a contest
  14. last — to go on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — final
  17. can — to be able to
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — to keep track
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. object — an aim
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. straw — dry grass

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