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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — for catching
  4. rest — a break
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — after costs
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. present — a gift
  12. rest — what's left
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. present — the time now
  16. net — in sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — a committee
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — there

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