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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. present — the time now
  4. rule — a law
  5. game — a match
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. present — there
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. game — wild animals
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. present — a gift
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — letters
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. leaves — of a tree

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