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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rule — government
  3. file — a document
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rule — a law
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — a grade
  8. drill — army training
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. file — a line of people
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — a series
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. march — the month
  24. drill — a practice

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