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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — for digging
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rule — a law
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rash — a series
  17. rule — government
  18. hand — help
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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