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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. file — a document
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. rule — government
  16. capital — money
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rule — a law
  19. file — a tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. face — to point toward
  23. file — a line of people
  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