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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 124 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — a box
  15. rule — a law
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rush — hurry
  22. toast — bread
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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