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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — low music
  4. spell — letters
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rest — a break
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rule — government
  14. spell — magic
  15. cold — not warm
  16. spell — a short time
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rule — a law
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bass — the instrument

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