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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rule — government
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mate — to breed
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fall — to drop
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bound — certain
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fall — the season
  21. rule — a law
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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