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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rule — a law
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — to rule out

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