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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rash — a series
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — to be able to
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rash — hasty
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a match
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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