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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. present — a gift
  3. mate — a friend
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. present — there
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. deal — to handle
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pass — a permit
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rule — a law

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