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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bulb — for light
  3. root — the cause
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. root — of a word
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — for digging
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — wild animals
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wax — to grow
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rule — a law
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — a match

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