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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. club — for golf
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rule — government
  21. club — for dancing
  22. spell — magic
  23. club — a group
  24. kid — child

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