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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — government
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. capital — money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pop — soda
  11. rule — a law
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lean — to bend
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pop — music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. capital — a city
  22. lean — thin
  23. rock — a stone
  24. capital — a big letter

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