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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — money
  4. rule — a law
  5. land — a country
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — a position
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rule — government
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a city
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. land — ground
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rule — to rule out

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