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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — a country
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. spell — letters
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. land — ground
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. toast — bread
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. land — to come down
  23. cell — in biology
  24. march — music

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