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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 124 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rash — hasty
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — help
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — government
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. toast — bread
  22. pop — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. pop — soda

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