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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. file — a document
  5. craft — boats
  6. game — a match
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rule — a law
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — of a river
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — government
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — hasty
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. bank — for money

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