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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — a law
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rule — government
  12. rest — a break
  13. chest — a box
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — for sport
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — rain
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bound — certain

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