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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — a price
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. rule — a law
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rest — a break
  12. spell — letters
  13. hand — help
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fine — all right
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. rule — government
  24. spell — magic

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