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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 · rest · rash · rule · cabinet · craft · hide · patient

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rule — a law
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rash — a series
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rest — what's left
  8. craft — boats
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. club — for golf
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rule — government
  24. club — a group

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