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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. last — finally
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. clip — a video
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rule — government
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. last — final
  19. pound — a weight
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rash — on the skin

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