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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — a law
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. band — a music group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. scale — in music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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