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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 116 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spring — a coil
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — the animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rule — a law
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. spring — the season
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rule — government
  21. bank — for money
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spring — of water
  24. straw — a straw man

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