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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rest — a break
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ball — a dance
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mug — to rob
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. row — to paddle
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rule — government
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. row — a line
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. squash — to crush

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