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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rash — hasty
  4. file — a tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rule — a law
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. swing — to play on
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. firm — steady
  14. bat — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. swing — music
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rash — a series
  22. firm — a company
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. firm — decided

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