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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rule — government
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rule — a law
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. bound — certain
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rule — to rule out

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