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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rule — government
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — letters
  5. land — to come down
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lean — thin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — to bend
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — magic
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rule — a law
  24. chair — a leader

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