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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. suit — in cards
  3. present — there
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — government
  7. court — for sport
  8. suit — clothes
  9. toast — bread
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. present — the time now
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of a king
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rule — a law
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. suit — to fit
  21. present — a gift
  22. last — final
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. last — to go 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