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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. branch — a division
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pit — in a race
  5. root — of a word
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. game — a match
  15. rule — government
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. cold — not warm
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ruler — a monarch

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