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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — final
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. last — to go on
  5. spell — a short time
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — a law
  9. spell — magic
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. last — finally
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — shares
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — government
  21. ball — a great time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spell — letters

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