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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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 — government
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. date — the fruit
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. sharp — clever
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. sharp — exactly
  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