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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cold — not warm
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cold — an illness
  9. march — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rule — a law
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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