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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — a country
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — of the year
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rule — government
  18. bulb — for light

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