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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. ball — a great time
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. land — a country
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ground — a position
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. land — ground
  19. capital — a city
  20. land — to come down
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rule — government
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ground — crushed

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