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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rest — a break
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — money
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. staff — employees
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. snap — to click
  18. capital — a city
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — government
  24. safe — out of danger

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