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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rule — a law
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mark — a trace
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. press — to push
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a word
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. branch — a division
  22. root — the cause
  23. mark — a grade
  24. calf — a young animal

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