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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bound — obliged
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rule — a law
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. game — a match
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rush — hurry
  24. safe — a strongbox

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