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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — help
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bound — certain
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. can — to be able to
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. bound — obliged

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