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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rule — a law
  6. land — ground
  7. root — the cause
  8. land — to come down
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rule — government
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. club — for golf
  19. land — a country
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rest — what's left
  24. root — of a word

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