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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. branch — a division
  5. date — the fruit
  6. shower — rain
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rule — a law
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bat — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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