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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — government
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pop — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. game — a match
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rule — a law
  13. key — the most important part
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. key — in music
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. rest — a break

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