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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. last — to go on
  4. hand — in cards
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. kick — in football
  8. bank — for money
  9. hand — help
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. rule — a law
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rule — government
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. spell — letters
  19. game — a match
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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