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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. present — the time now
  7. rule — government
  8. present — there
  9. rule — a law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. present — a gift
  17. row — to paddle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — a line
  21. rash — hasty
  22. club — a group
  23. rash — a series
  24. stand — for spectators

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