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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fall — to drop
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rule — government
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rule — a law
  9. root — the cause
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — ground
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. root — of a word
  19. fall — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. land — to come down
  24. fork — a garden tool

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