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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. shower — rain
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rule — government
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rule — a law
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lean — thin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. roll — a list

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