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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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Word bank
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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 · staff · leaves · rash · fall · hand · pass · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. staff — employees
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — a group
  18. rule — a law
  19. hand — help
  20. club — for golf
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — employees
  24. fall — to drop

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