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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — final
  5. vault — a safe
  6. last — to go on
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. last — finally
  11. game — wild animals
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rule — government
  15. tube — a container
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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