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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rash — a series
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — to come down
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — a box
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — ground
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rule — a law
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. land — a country

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