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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 116 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. rule — government
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — a law
  5. press — newspapers
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. press — to push
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rest — a break
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — for sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — a country
  18. court — of law
  19. land — ground
  20. bank — for money
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bank — of a river
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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