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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bass — low music
  9. land — ground
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kick — in football
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. land — a country
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. last — finally
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. last — final

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