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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — a break
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — a group
  13. capital — money
  14. rule — government
  15. cell — a phone
  16. last — final
  17. rash — hasty
  18. club — for golf
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. last — finally
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — a series
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mouse — the animal

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