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

Word bank: club · cell · mate · object · rock · rule

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. 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. mate — to breed
  2. object — a thing
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rock — music
  6. object — an aim
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — a law
  14. club — a group
  15. rule — government
  16. rock — a stone
  17. club — for golf
  18. 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