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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rest — a break
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. kid — child
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — low music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rest — what's left
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. shower — rain
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — a law

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