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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — an aim
  3. rule — government
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a plant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rule — a law
  17. saw — the tool
  18. object — to protest
  19. mate — a friend
  20. object — a thing
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spring — of water
  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