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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. last — final
  3. land — ground
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — to go on
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — there
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. squash — to crush
  14. last — finally
  15. rule — a law
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spring — a coil
  18. land — a country
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. present — a gift
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — government

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