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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cell — a phone
  6. object — a thing
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rule — a law
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — there
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rule — government
  19. pop — soda
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. pop — music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cell — in a prison

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