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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rule — government
  3. object — an aim
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. object — to protest
  8. charge — a price
  9. branch — a division
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. rule — a law
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. file — a document
  18. present — the time now
  19. object — a thing
  20. chest — a box
  21. present — a gift
  22. chest — of your body
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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