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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rule — a law
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. key — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — to paddle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. key — for a lock
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. season — of the year

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