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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — magic
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — a short time
  5. file — a document
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — of a king
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. deal — to handle
  17. court — for sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a tool
  20. court — of law
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. root — the cause
  24. deal — a big deal

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