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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rule — government
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. club — a group
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — a law
  12. object — a thing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bat — the animal
  19. object — an aim
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. snap — to click
  23. face — to confront
  24. club — for golf

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