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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rule — government
  4. scale — size or range
  5. board — to get on
  6. capital — a city
  7. firm — steady
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — decided
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rash — a series
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. capital — money
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. board — a committee
  24. firm — a company

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