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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rule — government
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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