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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — to push
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. rest — what's left
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rule — a law
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spring — the season
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. press — a publisher
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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