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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — a law
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. spell — letters
  12. rule — government
  13. capital — a city
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — a break
  16. season — of the year
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. season — in sport
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. capital — a big letter

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