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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rule — a law
  22. march — the month
  23. game — a kind of play
  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