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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rule — a law
  5. hand — help
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chest — a box
  9. cold — an illness
  10. land — ground
  11. rest — a break
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rule — government
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. suit — clothes
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — to come down
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — a country
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chest — of your body

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