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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rule — a law
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chest — a box
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rule — government
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. club — a group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. club — for golf
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chest — of your body

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