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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bound — obliged
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bound — certain
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. track — a path
  14. file — a tool
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — hurry
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a song
  23. file — a document
  24. calf — a young animal

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