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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — finally
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rule — government
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — final
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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