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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rule — a law
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — ground
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — finally
  8. rest — a break
  9. last — final
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — government
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — not warm
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — to go on

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