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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. race — the arms race
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rule — a law
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — humankind
  18. land — a country
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. capital — money
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. race — a contest

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