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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. march — the month
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. plane — a tool
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. deal — to handle
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. branch — of a tree

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