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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ground — crushed
  8. land — ground
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — the season
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. land — to come down
  13. mark — a grade
  14. land — a country
  15. rock — music
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rule — government
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rule — a law
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rule — to rule out

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