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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rule — a law
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rush — hurry
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. rule — government

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