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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. rule — government
  2. bass — low music
  3. firm — a company
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — steady
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kid — to tease
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — tied together
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rule — a law
  19. bound — certain
  20. firm — decided
  21. vault — a safe
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fall — the season
  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