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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — to crush
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rule — government
  22. bulb — for light
  23. drill — army training
  24. bulb — of a plant

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