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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — in cards
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bound — obliged
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — finally
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — a match
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rule — a law
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — to go on
  21. hand — help
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. can — to be able to

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