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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. scale — in music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chest — a box
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. snap — to click
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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