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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — government
  9. land — to come down
  10. last — final
  11. rule — a law
  12. land — ground
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — a country
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. squash — the vegetable

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