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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fine — all right
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rule — a law
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — a break
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — a division
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rule — government
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. toast — bread
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rash — a series
  24. rest — what's left

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