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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rest — what's left
  6. object — an aim
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — of water
  10. rule — government
  11. mug — a face
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hand — help
  14. object — a thing
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rule — a law
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rest — a break
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spring — the season

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