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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rule — a law
  8. mate — a partner
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rash — a series
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hand — help
  20. fall — to drop
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rule — government
  24. fall — to drop

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