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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rule — government
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. track — a path
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rule — a law
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — the earth
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fork — in a road
  24. track — a song

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