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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: cold · track · fall · wave · suit · rock · toast · rule

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fall — to drop
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — a law
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. toast — bread
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fall — the season
  16. rock — a stone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cold — not warm
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. rock — music
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. rule — government

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