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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rule — to rule out

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