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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. face — to point toward
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. march — the month
  13. present — the time now
  14. rule — a law
  15. deal — to handle
  16. present — a gift
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — a short time
  21. march — music
  22. present — there
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — a strongbox

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