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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rule — a law
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. object — an aim
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — all right
  9. club — a group
  10. rule — government
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — employees
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. object — a thing

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