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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — to protest
  3. chest — a box
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — a thing
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — a position
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rule — government
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — a series
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. object — an aim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — crushed

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