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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 116 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — a law
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — government
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — rain
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — certain
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lash — an eyelash

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