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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — for digging
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bank — for money
  10. rule — a law
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bank — for money

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