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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bank — for money
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kid — child
  19. bulb — for light
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rule — a law
  24. bank — of a river

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