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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rest — a break
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rule — government
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — a law
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. can — a tin

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