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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. file — a document
  3. rule — a law
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — a division
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. scale — size or range
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. file — a tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rash — a series
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — in music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chair — to sit on

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