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

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. band — a ring
  3. spell — a short time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spell — letters
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rule — a law
  9. land — ground
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. toast — bread
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — to rule out

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