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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · rest · chest · mate · rule · cell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cell — in biology
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rest — a break
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chest — a box
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — of your body

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