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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — all right
  8. present — a gift
  9. rule — a law
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. land — a country
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. land — to come down
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cold — not warm
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cold — an illness
  24. sharp — clever

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