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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — newspapers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — finally
  7. rule — a law
  8. race — humankind
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. land — ground
  13. race — the arms race
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — a contest
  17. land — to come down
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. press — to push
  20. deal — to handle
  21. press — a publisher
  22. last — final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rule — government

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