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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rule — government
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pass — a permit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — a city
  18. snap — to click
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — in music
  23. capital — money
  24. cell — in a prison

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