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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — to come down
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. land — a country
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rule — government
  8. spell — magic
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — thin
  12. suit — clothes
  13. content — the amount
  14. rule — a law
  15. spell — a short time
  16. game — a match
  17. lean — to bend
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. suit — in cards
  21. content — happy
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. game — a kind of play

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