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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. row — a line
  7. spell — letters
  8. pop — soda
  9. rule — government
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. spell — magic
  12. row — to paddle
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chair — a leader

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