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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. land — to come down
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — a country
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. hand — help
  17. land — ground
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — in cards
  21. firm — a company
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rule — a law
  24. suit — clothes

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