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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kick — in football
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rule — government
  9. root — of a word
  10. rash — a series
  11. root — the cause
  12. last — finally
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — of a plant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kick — a thrill

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