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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. pit — in a race
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — a line
  17. key — in music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — music
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — soda
  22. march — the month
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pit — a hole

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