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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spell — letters
  5. mate — a friend
  6. race — the arms race
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — government
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spell — magic
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — a series
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rule — a law
  17. staff — employees
  18. race — a contest
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. staff — employees

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