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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — ground
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — to come down
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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