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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a document
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rule — a law
  17. file — a tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mate — a partner
  21. staff — employees
  22. rule — government
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. file — a line of people

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