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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — in music
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — moving air
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — for a lock
  13. staff — employees
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fall — the season
  20. key — the most important part
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fine — high quality
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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