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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. last — to go on
  9. rule — a law
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spell — letters
  18. last — finally
  19. season — in sport
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. last — final
  24. pitcher — a jug

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