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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. chest — a box
  3. band — a ring
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rule — government
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. band — a music group
  18. ball — a great time
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rule — a law

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