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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. last — finally
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — to go on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rule — a law
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. last — final
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spring — the season

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