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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — to keep track
  4. press — to push
  5. face — to point toward
  6. last — final
  7. track — a path
  8. rash — hasty
  9. object — to protest
  10. last — finally
  11. face — part of the head
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. land — ground
  15. press — a publisher
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a song
  23. press — newspapers
  24. face — to confront

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