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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. track — a path
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. board — to get on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rule — a law
  23. track — a song
  24. board — a committee

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