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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — money
  4. rule — government
  5. capital — a city
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. land — ground
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rock — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rule — a law
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pass — a permit
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. stock — goods
  22. rock — a stone
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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