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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 124 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — the animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. present — a gift
  11. rule — a law
  12. rock — music
  13. roll — a list
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. present — the time now
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. present — there
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — a country
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — government

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