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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. land — ground
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. root — the cause
  8. rule — government
  9. fine — high quality
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rule — a law
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. craft — boats
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a grade
  20. root — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. root — of a word
  24. saw — the tool

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