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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. rule — government
  5. object — to protest
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rule — a law
  12. perch — the fish
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — ground
  16. chest — a box
  17. land — to come down
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. object — an aim
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — a thing
  24. wind — to turn a key

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