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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — music
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. bound — obliged
  6. face — to confront
  7. capital — money
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rest — what's left
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rock — a stone
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bound — certain
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — tied together
  20. capital — a city
  21. rest — a break
  22. rule — government
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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