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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pop — to visit
  6. land — to come down
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — final
  10. land — a country
  11. pop — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. last — finally
  14. land — ground
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rule — a law
  17. face — to confront
  18. pop — soda
  19. rule — government
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — to go on

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