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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — rain
  4. rule — government
  5. drill — army training
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. land — to come down
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. shower — to wash
  13. present — the time now
  14. rule — a law
  15. present — there
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. drill — a practice
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — lets stay

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