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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — government
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — in sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. hand — in cards
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rule — a law

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