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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rule — government
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to confront
  7. root — the cause
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — a contest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. race — the arms race
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rule — a law
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — of a word
  21. pound — a weight
  22. face — part of the head
  23. race — humankind
  24. season — to add flavour

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