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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. club — a group
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. object — a thing
  12. rule — a law
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — for dancing
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — government
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. club — for golf
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rush — to hurry

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