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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. root — of a word
  3. rule — a law
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ground — a position
  7. season — of the year
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — hurry
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ground — crushed
  15. root — of a plant
  16. snap — to click
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. root — the cause
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. season — in sport

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