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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. present — a gift
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. last — to go on
  11. tube — a container
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rule — government
  19. cell — in biology
  20. present — the time now
  21. last — final
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — finally
  24. present — there

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