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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — tied together
  5. file — a tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pit — in a race
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. bass — low music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rule — a law
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bound — certain

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