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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. perch — the fish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. charge — a price
  7. last — finally
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — humankind
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — farmland
  15. last — final
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rule — a law
  18. last — to go on
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. charge — in control
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. race — a contest
  24. rule — to rule out

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