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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bass — low music
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — government
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chip — for betting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. court — of law
  12. last — final
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rule — a law
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — for sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rash — hasty
  24. racket — for tennis

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