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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. file — a tool
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. charge — in control
  11. hand — help
  12. charge — a price
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hand — in cards
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. file — a document
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — child

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