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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. suit — in cards
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — a line
  6. rest — what's left
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a ring
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rush — hurry
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. suit — to fit
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rule — a law

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