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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — a law
  3. spell — a short time
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — ground
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. object — to protest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — to confront
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rule — government
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. spell — letters
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — a break
  23. root — the cause
  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