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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rash — a series
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — help
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rest — a break
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — government
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rash — hasty

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