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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. spring — of water
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. date — the fruit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. track — to keep track
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rush — hurry

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