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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — to go on
  9. press — to push
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rule — a law
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rule — government
  16. last — final
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rash — a series
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. press — newspapers

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