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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. press — to push
  3. swing — to play on
  4. land — to come down
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rash — a series
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. swing — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. land — a country
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. lie — to recline
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ruler — for measuring

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