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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — in a road
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chest — a box
  18. rest — a break
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lean — thin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cold — not warm

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