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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a ring
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — a series
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — a law
  16. spring — the season
  17. rule — government
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bound — certain
  20. fine — all right
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spring — of water
  24. band — a rubber band

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