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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — a country
  9. track — to keep track
  10. march — the month
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. rule — government
  15. march — music
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. last — finally
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rule — a law
  23. pop — music
  24. last — final

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