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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. deal — to handle
  3. last — to go on
  4. staff — employees
  5. bound — certain
  6. rest — a break
  7. rule — government
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. last — finally
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — employees
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. last — final
  24. bound — tied together

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