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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rule — government
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bank — for money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — a law
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — what's left

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