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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fall — the season
  4. rest — a break
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — government
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — a law
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. game — a match
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. game — a kind of play

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