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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rule — government
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — magic
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rash — a series
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rule — a law
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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