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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — a break
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tube — a container
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — goods
  17. ground — a position
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — crushed
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rule — a law

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