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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. land — a country
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spell — letters
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. land — to come down
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spell — magic
  17. rule — a law
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. land — ground
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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