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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. club — a group
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. last — to go on
  11. rule — a law
  12. last — finally
  13. wake — a trail
  14. game — wild animals
  15. suit — clothes
  16. last — final
  17. club — for golf
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. club — for dancing
  21. march — the month
  22. rule — government
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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