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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rest — a break
  3. rule — government
  4. game — a match
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. hand — help
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mate — a friend
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. race — the arms race
  14. deal — to handle
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. race — humankind
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rule — a law

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