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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rule — government
  3. staff — employees
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. staff — a stick
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. present — there
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — a gift
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rule — a law
  24. wax — to grow

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