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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — a song
  5. land — to come down
  6. suit — to fit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. track — a path
  12. last — finally
  13. rule — government
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. last — to go on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cell — a phone
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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