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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — government
  4. rest — a break
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. scale — in music
  18. game — a match
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rule — a law
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mine — for digging

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