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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — a law
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rule — government
  9. band — a ring
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a hat

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