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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. object — to protest
  3. rule — government
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — a trail
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — a partner
  13. object — a thing
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — to breed
  16. march — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. object — an aim
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rule — a law
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cold — the Cold War

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