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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. pop — to visit
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — to come down
  5. rule — a law
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. land — ground
  16. rule — government
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — a country
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. press — newspapers
  24. straw — dry grass

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