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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rule — government
  3. hand — in cards
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — of the year
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rule — a law
  10. season — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. staff — employees
  24. cell — a phone

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