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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rule — government
  3. rock — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. last — final
  6. charge — a price
  7. rule — a law
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. charge — in control
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — an aim
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rock — a stone
  15. press — to push
  16. object — a thing
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. object — to protest
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. charge — electricity
  24. last — finally

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