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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — a stone
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rule — a law
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rock — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chest — a box
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pound — to hit hard

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