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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. present — a gift
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — a law
  12. present — the time now
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — hurry
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. wave — with your hand

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