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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · rule · mouse · last · deal · bowl · safe · mate

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mate — a partner
  3. last — final
  4. mate — to breed
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rule — a law
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — in a road
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. last — finally

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