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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rule — a law
  3. present — a gift
  4. land — a country
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — ground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rule — government
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — a division
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. present — the time now

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