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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 124 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: saw · rule · fine · roll · dip · last · track · bat

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. dip — to sink
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. track — a song
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. last — to go on
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — a list
  15. fine — all right
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. roll — a cake
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rule — a law
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. track — a path
  22. rule — government
  23. last — final
  24. fine — high quality

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