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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. last — final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. track — a song
  9. craft — a skill
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — boats
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. present — there
  16. last — finally
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. swing — in golf
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — music
  23. track — a path
  24. present — a gift

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