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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mate — a friend
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. net — in sport
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ground — a position
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rash — a series
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rule — a law
  22. mate — to breed
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. sharp — exactly

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