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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rule — government
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. march — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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