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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bear — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. clip — for paper
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. lie — to recline
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rest — a break
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. clip — to cut
  24. patient — a sick person

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