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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — the season
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rule — government
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. saw — the tool
  24. staff — employees

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