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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. land — ground
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. land — to come down
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. squash — the sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rule — a law

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