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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. face — to point toward
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. club — for golf
  12. rule — a law
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. face — part of the head
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — a group
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. club — for dancing

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