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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. rule — government
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — a group
  6. land — ground
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. track — a path
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rule — a law
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — for golf
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spell — magic
  19. club — for dancing
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — a song

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