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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — a law
  8. track — a song
  9. rule — government
  10. spring — of water
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. track — a path
  17. face — to confront
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spring — the season
  23. spell — magic
  24. prune — to trim

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