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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. suit — in cards
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. suit — to fit
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rule — a law
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rule — government
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. present — a gift
  17. chest — a box
  18. land — to come down
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — ground
  24. arm — part of the body

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