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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rash — a series
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. race — humankind
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. plane — a tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — magic
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — a coil
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spell — letters
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rule — a law
  22. spring — of water
  23. rash — hasty
  24. patient — a sick person

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