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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. spring — the season
  3. root — the cause
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spring — a coil
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to confront
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spring — of water
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. toast — bread
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — a law
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hide — animal skin

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