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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — soda
  3. rule — government
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rule — a law
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — music
  10. root — of a word
  11. pop — to visit
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — happening now
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spell — magic
  20. current — of water
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. capital — a city
  23. root — of a plant
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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