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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. can — a tin
  3. track — a path
  4. can — to be able to
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — a law
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — a hint
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. swing — to play on
  13. track — a song
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — final
  16. can — a tin
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — government
  21. swing — in golf
  22. band — a music group
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — to keep track

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