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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. cell — a phone
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rule — a law
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rule — government
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — a lid

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