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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rule — a law
  9. mug — to rob
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mug — a face
  15. spell — magic
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. snap — to click
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — letters
  24. march — music

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