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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — farmland
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. swing — music
  8. lean — thin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. rule — a law
  12. swing — in golf
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — a subject
  17. bound — tied together
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hand — help
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. swing — to play on
  22. field — for sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — to push

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