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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — a law
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — a break
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — help
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — in cards

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