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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rock — a stone
  3. face — to confront
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rule — government
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rule — a law
  12. pop — soda
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rock — music
  24. wake — a trail

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