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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — in music
  8. object — a thing
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — to protest
  13. sharp — clever
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rule — a law
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — help
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cell — in biology
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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