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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: rest · staff · swing · spell · rule · mate · wake · chest

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. 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. rule — government
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — a short time
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. swing — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spell — magic
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rest — a break
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chest — a box
  19. rule — a law
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wake — a trail
  24. 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