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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. present — the time now
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — there
  8. rule — a law
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — the season
  21. present — a gift
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a match

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