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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. row — a line
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mug — a cup
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — music
  11. rule — a law
  12. game — a match
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rule — government
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. date — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — to rule out

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