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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. rock — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — ground
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — to come down
  13. rock — a stone
  14. last — finally
  15. rule — government
  16. last — final
  17. land — a country
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. saw — the tool
  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