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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bank — of a river
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — a container
  10. bank — for money
  11. spring — of water
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spell — magic
  16. rest — a break
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rule — a law

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