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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — government
  4. rock — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — ground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spring — of water
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. land — a country
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. land — to come down
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rule — a law
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wake — a trail

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