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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rule — a law
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spell — letters
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spell — magic
  10. rule — government
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — high quality
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. face — part of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to confront
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitcher — a jug

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