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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. bound — obliged
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ground — crushed
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kick — in football
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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