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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. last — finally
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — to go on
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. last — final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lean — thin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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