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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rule — government
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bulb — for light
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rule — a law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lean — thin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rash — a series

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