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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 116 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. last — final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — a match
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — the sport
  21. last — finally
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — wild animals

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