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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. spell — letters
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — a video
  7. spell — a short time
  8. game — wild animals
  9. clip — for paper
  10. face — part of the head
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. land — a country
  13. rule — a law
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — ground
  22. rule — government
  23. game — a match
  24. face — to confront

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