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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: staff · track · rest · rule · cell · mug · race · object

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cell — a phone
  4. object — an aim
  5. rest — a break
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — to protest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — to keep track
  13. staff — a stick
  14. object — a thing
  15. mug — to rob
  16. race — humankind
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mug — a face
  19. track — a song
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. track — a path
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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