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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. court — of law
  3. spell — letters
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. court — of a king
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pass — a permit
  14. land — ground
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. spell — a short time
  17. court — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — a country
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spell — magic
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. land — to come down

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