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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. land — a country
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — ground
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. press — to push
  16. spring — a coil
  17. last — finally
  18. land — to come down
  19. squash — the sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. squash — to crush
  24. last — final

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