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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. scale — in music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fall — the season
  14. rule — a law
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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