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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. staff — employees
  6. stand — to bear
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. staff — employees
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. last — final
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — a video
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — for paper

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