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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. object — to protest
  5. firm — decided
  6. object — an aim
  7. spell — letters
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rule — government
  21. object — a thing
  22. firm — steady
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. firm — a company

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