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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rash — a series
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. chest — a box
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. rest — a break
  14. club — a group
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spell — letters
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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