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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. track — a song
  5. scale — size or range
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — the tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — rain
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. shower — to wash
  23. track — a path
  24. rule — a law

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