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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 124 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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rule — a law
  4. fine — high quality
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. spell — letters
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. spell — magic
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. last — finally
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fine — all right
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — a short time

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