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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. hand — in cards
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — help
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. club — a group
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — for golf
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — the season
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rule — a law
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. club — for dancing
  24. spring — of water

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