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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — a law
  7. march — music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cold — not warm
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wind — moving air
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — in cards
  18. rule — government
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — the month
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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