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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cell — in biology
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — of water
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cell — a phone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. land — ground
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — a country
  15. spring — the season
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rule — a law
  23. land — to come down
  24. calf — of the leg

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