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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 124 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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. board — a committee
  3. spell — a short time
  4. land — to come down
  5. degree — an amount
  6. land — ground
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. craft — boats
  11. spell — magic
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. degree — temperature
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rule — a law
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spell — letters
  22. land — a country
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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