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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. race — a contest
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mate — a partner
  10. cell — in biology
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — humankind
  17. rule — government
  18. race — the arms race

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