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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — help
  3. march — music
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — wild animals
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — tied together
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. rule — a law
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stock — a soup base

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