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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rule — a law
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bear — the animal

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