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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rest — a break
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spell — a short time
  5. present — there
  6. rule — a law
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. present — a gift
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chest — of your body
  13. craft — boats
  14. spell — magic
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. rest — what's left
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — a permit
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. present — the time now

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