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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — a tin
  5. race — humankind
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. spell — magic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. last — final
  12. spell — a short time
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. last — finally
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a match

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