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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a tool
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. charge — a price
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rule — a law
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lean — to bend
  14. file — a document
  15. row — a line
  16. key — the most important part
  17. charge — in control
  18. file — a line of people
  19. key — in music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. charge — electricity
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. key — for a lock

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