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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — to come down
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pop — to visit
  16. land — a country
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spring — of water
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pop — soda
  21. rule — government
  22. pop — music
  23. land — ground
  24. wind — moving air

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