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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 116 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pit — in a race
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rule — a law
  16. face — to confront
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rule — government
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — to point toward
  24. trunk — of a tree

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