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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — a match
  6. last — final
  7. rule — a law
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lie — to recline
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — finally
  20. tear — to rip
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. last — to go on
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. land — a country

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