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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. scale — size or range
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mark — a grade
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — a position
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. mate — a partner
  11. scale — in music
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — the earth
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — a line
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. root — of a word
  21. row — to paddle
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a rubber band

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