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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — government
  3. season — in sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — rain
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rule — a law
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. season — of the year
  24. land — ground

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