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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rule — government
  5. rest — what's left
  6. press — a publisher
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. game — a match
  12. lean — to bend
  13. press — to push
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — thin
  23. rule — a law
  24. rest — a break

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