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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a city
  12. spell — letters
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rule — a law
  16. rock — a stone
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — money
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lie — to recline

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