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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rule — government
  3. stock — goods
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. rule — a law
  9. rock — a stone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — shares
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rock — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spring — of water
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rule — to rule out

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