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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rule — a law
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. last — to go on
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — in football
  14. mark — a trace
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — final
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. last — finally
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rule — government

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