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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: rock · jam · rest · rule · cabinet · stand · bat · wind

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — a law
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rule — government
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rest — a break
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rock — music
  24. rest — what's left

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